e-culture: Nuestra Musica, Indigenous Data, Go-Go D.C., Great Adventures and Events
July 9, 2004


IN THIS ISSUE

- The Smithsonian's New Latino Music Initiative
- Hear Featured "Nuestra Musica" Artists on KTRU
- The D.C. Go-Go Scene and Caribbean Carnival
- New Indigenous Data in Our Hispanic Experience
- Our Upcoming Travel to New Mexico, New York and Utah
- A Presentation and Discussion on Educational Travel
- Join Us for a Day of Fun and Adventure in Galveston
- Hear More World Music in Houston Than Ever Before
- Regional Music Meets at the Rhythm Room
- Writers and Translators Needed for Mexico Project
- Wanted: Education Partners and Bear Wranglers
- Events by Voices Breaking Boundaries, Asia Society, MFA, more
- A Free Screening of "Maria Full of Grace"



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The Smithsonian's New Latino Music Initiative

The Smithsonian Institution inaugurated a four year Latino music initiative at its annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival in the nation's capital this month and we were fortunate to be there.

The two-week program, Nuestra Musica: Music in Latino Culture, introduced us to family traditions from around the United States and Latin America, and social and geopolitical aspects of diverse Latino musical heritage. There were music performances, interactive sessions between musicians from diverse regions and traditions, and audience participation in forums, workshops and demonstrations of musical instruments. We even went to a DC United soccer match with some of the musicians.

We will offer a complete wrap-up of the first year in our Hispanic Experience section in just a few days. Be sure to watch for it at:
http://www.houstonculture.org/hispanic


As one of the best cultural educational events the nation has to offer, we want more people to experience the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. We will organize group trips to Washington D.C. next year, tentatively planned for July 1 - 10, 2005, and likely the following two years. We will arrange partnerships with local radio stations to make more people aware of this great opportunity and help the Smithsonian in many other ways in this tremendous effort.

In addition to attending the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, we will arrange a variety of great educational activities, including:

- The Smithsonian National Museum of American History and National Museum of the American Indian
- Tours of the Library of Congress and Department of the Interior
- Tours of Christian Heurich House and Woodrow Wilson House
- Frederick Douglas House National Landmark and African American history museums
- Immigrant community businesses in Adams Morgan and Mount Pleasant
- Organization of American States Art Museum of the Americas and National Geographic Explorers Gallery
- The Smithsonian Freed, Sackler and International Art Galleries - The National Mall, including the Roosevelt and Jefferson Memorials
- The C&O Canal, Georgetown, and more

We will have more information on this great opportunity in our upcoming newsletters.

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Hear Featured "Nuestra Musica" Artists on KTRU

On the World Music Show, we will highlight the music of artists who were part of the Latino music initiative, Nuestra Musica: Music in Latino Culture, by the Smithsonian Institution.

We will sample the music of Jose Gutierrez y los Hermanos Ochoa, sones jarochos from Veracruz, Mexico; Viento de Agua, Puerto Rican plena and bomba music originally from "PR" and popularized in New York; Marimba Linda Xelaju, which features Guatemalan immigrants in Washington D.C.; Grupo Cimarron de Colombia, who perform the music of the plainsmen of Colombia on their CD "Si, Soy Llanero" (I Am a Plainsman); Eva Ybarra y su Conjunto, a great Tejana accordion artist we know well in Texas; Mariachi Los Camperos, featuring NEA National Heritage Fellow Nati Cano; Roberto Martinez and Los Reyes de Albuquerque, performing the traditional music of New Mexico as is has been played for centuries; and many more great Latin American musicians and singers.

This special World Music Show will take place on Monday, July 26 from 7:00 to 9:00pm on KTRU, Rice University Radio, 91.7FM.

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The D.C. Go-Go Scene and Caribbean Carnival

While in Washington D.C. on our recent adventure we got on board the Soca train, or at least watched, as the big loud Soca trucks passed on Georgia Avenue, literally producing a wall of sound with flat bed semis stacked high with speakers run by massive generators. Dozens of dancers in bright regalia trailed behind each truck with its impressive sound system at the annual Caribbean Carnival.

For even more fun, pack the flag of your favorite Caribbean Island nation and join us in New York for one of the biggest parades in the U.S., the West Indian Day Parade and Carnival in Brooklyn, New York. Get more information below in Upcoming Travel.

Here's a look at Caribbean parade traditions:
http://www.houstonculture.org/cultures/caribbean/carnival.html


Also while in D.C., we discovered that the Go-Go scene that has been so prominent in the capital over the past few decades is alive and well. We were able to add music by artists like Trouble Funk and Rare Essence to our growing collection of this regional sound. We can trace the many influences, from Reaganomics to Gangsta Rap, through this evolving sound, which is largely unheard outside of the D.C. area.

Chuck Brown innovated the live high-energy production all the way back in the 1970s to compete with the popular disco sound of the era. Using traditions of the people of Washington D.C. he created a style of music that wouldn't stop for hours, in order to compete with disco and club DJs. He incorporated live musicians in all the roles, from horns to keyboards and electronic samplers. Much of the music's lure is the steady infectious rhythms that originate in Afro Caribbean traditions.

We were also able to add to our collection of Western Swing, including sought after tracks by the Tune Wranglers, who performed Western Swing in both Spanish and English.

We have many opportunities to share these interesting and historical musics through radio programs, but we are always looking for more situations to educate and entertain people with the tremendous diversity of both historic and modern music in our collection. Let us know if you have a need for something unique in international or regional music at an event or educational forum.

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New Indigenous Data in Our Hispanic Experience

Michelle Ong and John Schmal have contributed new resources concerning Spanish and Indian contact in the Americas for our Hispanic Experience section, including historical indigenous data from the Mexican census.

Indigenous Identity in the Mexican Census by John P. Schmal
http://www.houstonculture.org/hispanic/census.html

Racial Makeup of Native-Born Mexicans (from the 1921 Census)
http://www.houstonculture.org/hispanic/censustable.html

Spanish Missionary Activity in Texas by Michelle Ong
http://www.houstonculture.org/hispanic/missions.html

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Our Upcoming Travel to New Mexico, New York and Utah

From one of the oldest celebrations in the U.S., the Feast of San Lorenzo in northern New Mexico, going on its fourth century, to the most diverse parade in the nation, the West Indian Carnival in Brooklyn, New York, and the desert solitude of Utah's canyonlands, we have a variety of great adventures coming up in the next few months, and even more are in the works.

Keep these dates in mind for exciting educational opportunities:

- Fiesta de San Lorenzo and Gallup Intertribal in New Mexico, August 6 - 11, 2004
- West Indian Parade and NYC Adventure, August 30 - September 7, 2004
- Canyonlands Adventure and Workshop, September 17 - 26, 2004
- Zwolle Tamale Fiesta, Zwolle, Louisiana, October 8 - 10, 2004
- Kentuck Festival of the Arts, Alabama, October 15 - 17, 2004
- Northern New Mexico Museum Tour, November 3 - 7, 2004
- Multicultural New Orleans Workshop, March 12 - 20, 2005
- Smithsonian Folklife Festival and D.C. Tour, July 1 - 10, 2005

Our educational travel adventures are informal activities with just enough structure in place to suit the needs of the whole group. The trips provide great opportunities to meet new people and experience new places at prices that are usually much less than the cost for a person traveling on their own. Costs are based on the individual's real cost to travel (shared transportation, admissions or park fees, etc.) plus a small fee for the guide or host, approximately $100 for a four-day tour and $150 for a seven to nine day tour.

Stay tuned, we are still planning several late fall adventures:
http://www.houstonculture.org/travel

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A Presentation and Discussion on Educational Travel

We will look at travel for its cultural exchange and educational value during a lively informal program on Saturday, August 14 from 4:00 - 6:00pm.

We will survey many diverse cultural aspects of our travels in Mexico, the Southwestern United States, and our more recent journeys to New York, Washington DC, and the Southeastern states, as well as offer travel advice and involve audience members in a productive workshop-oriented discussion.

The free event will take place at the Eleanor K. Freed Montrose Branch of the Houston Public Library, 4100 Montrose Blvd at Colquitt.

We will have more information on this exciting and free activity in our upcoming newsletter, but please let us know that you are planning to attend so we can provide some refreshments. Call 713-521-3686, or email us at info@houstonculture.org.

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Join Us for a Day of Fun and Adventure in Galveston

If July 31 sounds like the hottest day of the year in Houston, remember that it's often are a little cooler in Galveston, sometimes 10 degrees cooler in summer. We chose that day to escape the Houston heat and visit our historic island neighbor that Houstonians often overlook.

Here are a few of the things we plan to do on our day of island fun:

- At Pier 21 we will visit the Seaport Museum, Tall Ship Elissa and see the film, The Great Storm, about the 1900 Hurricane that devastated the island.
- Tour the Moody Mansion and Bishop's Palace
- Visit the Strand District, 1894 Grand Opera House and the Railroad Museum
- View historic homes in the Silk Stocking District and East End District
- See the 1880 Garten Verain, a German roundhouse, and visit the island's Cultural Centers
- Enjoy some of Galveston's great food!

We will leave from Houston around 9:00am on Saturday, July 31 for a fun and surprising educational day in Galveston. Let us know if you are interested. All it costs is one day of your time, plus the price of admissions and meals.

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Hear More World Music in Houston Than Ever Before

There are now more opportunities than ever to hear World Music in Houston. KPFT has launched "Music Beyond Borders," an international music format with sets curated by members of the KPFT World Music Collective. The show will air on weekdays from 1:00 - 2:00pm on KPFT 90.1FM.


Pinoy Rock legend Mike Hanopol will be in Houston on July 17

Mike Hanopol is a legendary pioneering Filipino artist whose music redefined and reshaped the Pinoy rock sound in Manila in the 1970s. Through numerous albums, Hanopol has influenced and inspired generations of Filipino musicians. He now lives in New York where he performs regularly. He will be in Houston performing at the Stafford Civic Center on Saturday, July 17. The show begins at 7:00pm.

Stay tuned to the World Music Show on KTRU, 91.7FM this Monday night. We may have an interview with Mike Hanopol if the scheduling works out. He may also play a couple of songs live with an acoustic guitar. Chances are pretty good that it will happen, so tune in Monday from 7:00 to 9:00pm.


Nuestra Musica: Music in Latino Culture on KTRU

And, don't forget to listen to our special Monday, July 26 feature on the Latino music initiative by the Smithsonian Institution, Nuestra Musica: Music in Latino Culture. The program will air from 7:00 to 9:00pm on KTRU, Rice University Radio, 91.7FM. We will hear the music of Jose Gutierrez y los Hermanos Ochoa, Viento de Agua, Marimba Linda Xelaju, Grupo Cimarron de Colombia, Eva Ybarra y su Conjunto, Mariachi Los Camperos, Roberto Martinez and Los Reyes de Albuquerque, and many more great Latin American musicians and singers.

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Regional Music Meets at the Rhythm Room

Saturday, July 17 presents a special opportunity to enjoy favorite regional artists at the Rhythm Room.

Houston Blues guitarist Sherman Robertson will appear on Joe's Roadhouse (also broadcast live on KPFT, 90.1 FM) with The Mighty Orq from 2:00 to 6:00pm, followed by New Orleans' own Rebirth Brass Band at 9:00pm. Both of these shows are conveniently hosted by the Rhythm Room on the same day, with just enough time in between to drop in at a local Washington Ave taqueria. With Rebirth Brass Band being joined by Plump, both lineups are sure to please.

The Rhythm Room is located at 1815 Washington Ave. Call 713-863-0943.

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Writers and Translators Needed for Mexico Projects

With the fall coming up very quickly we are anticipating heavy use of our Internet resources by schools across the country and Mexico. Last year we saw average visitors reach 1,200 per day in September, and jump to 3,000 per day as El Dia de los Muertos approached at the end of October. Visitation to our site from Mexico is now over 15 percent of users. Hits will likely reach new highs, hundreds of thousands per month, during this school year and nearly all of the educational resources will be accessed. Last year the materials were used widely in California schools, as well as many schools and universities throughout the U.S.

Our Traditions of Mexico section, with articles and resources on subjects such as the Day of the Dead, and our work on Border Medicine will be two main priorities this fall. We are preparing substantial amounts of new material with the goal of having the resources in place during September.

We can always use additional support writing, researching, and translating interview footage. There are many great story ideas to work on. An example is the Mesa Blanca (White Table Mass) tradition that connects Afro-Caribbean customs to Mexico. We have some good sources, but need writers and documentary participants to follow up and help us complete these projects. There are many to choose from. Please contact me if you would like to help produce these valuable resources.

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Wanted: Education Partners and Bear Wranglers

We are seeking Education Partners and volunteers for Camp Dos Cabezas, our educational youth camp. The camp will be held in the Chiricahua Mountains in 2005, but we need your involvement in the selection of participants for the camp this fall, as well as involvement in preparing educational activities for the children. To request a packet of information on camp education partnerships and volunteer opportunities, please call 713-521-3686, or email us at info@houstonculture.org.

For more information on Camp Dos Cabezas, please visit:
http://www.houstonculture.org/camp


We are also seeking Bear Wranglers to help with our "Bears for Caring" program. It isn't nearly as dangerous as it sounds. We are in the process of collecting and distributing teddy bears and other stuffed animals to fire stations and ambulance drivers who transport children to hospitals, and to medical personnel from Houston hospitals working in Colonias along the Mexico border.

The need for these items to make young children feel more secure is even greater than we anticipated, so we will continue collecting stuffed animals in the future. In the mean time we just need to get the little bears to their destinations.

If you would like to volunteer, please call 713-521-3686, or email me at mark@houstonculture.org.

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Events by Voices Breaking Boundaries, Asia Society, MFA, more

Usha Uthup with a live band
Presented by Indo-American Association (IAA)

The incredible Usha Uthup and her band will have you rocking, foot tapping, and singing along with pops in many Indian languages, French, German, Italian, Sinhalese, Swahili, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Creole and, of course, English. No wonder Usha's concert tours have taken her to places around the world as diverse as USA, Japan, UK, Singapore, Mauritius, Mombasa, Nairobi, Viena, Dubai, Kuwait, South Africa, Russia, Fiji Islands, and Canada where she brought 50,000 to feet!

Accolades for Usha have come from all over the world as she has performed for United Nations in New York and for prominent world celebrities elsewhere, including Nelson Mandela. If there is a legend bridging the West and the East in pop music, it is Usha. She has shared the stage at one point with the one and only Harry Belfonte. Usha was born in a tradition-rich family of South India. From the moment she uttered her first words, music has been her life, her love, and her soul. With her gifted velvet smooth voice and a natural feel for the pulse of rhythm, she quickly mastered her talent. Proud to be an Indian who started in a night club, Usha is the pioneer who wiped out the stigma attached to night club singing in India. With her music, she has transcended the barriers of creed, language, and nationalities.

The Live Band accompaniment: Emille Issac, Tapan Roychaudhury, Sumit Ramachandran, Raja Narayan Deb, Amal Roy.

Saturday, July 10, 8:00pm
Wortham Center
$20, 25, 35, 50, 75 (20% discount for Asia Society Texas members)
281-648-0422 or 281-217-4220
http://www.iaahouston.com

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World Beat Concert
Sponsored by YMCA International Services

YMCA International Services is organizing a multicultural concert to raise funds for its Vietnam School Project, Refugee Scholarship Program and Asylum seeker Assistance Program. The art exhibit starts at 5:30pm with artworks from Iran, Somalia, and Vietnam.

July 10, 2004, 6:30pm
Stafford Center Performing Arts Theatre
$35.00
713-927-6235

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Too Much Information Festival: Celebrate your right to know (TMI Fest)
Presented by Voices Breaking Boundaries (VBB) and The Proletariat
Performances by UME, Mock Run, Two Star Symphony, The Ugly Spirits, and DJ sets by Gina Tonic. There will also be food, drink specials and a raffle drawing every hour.

A special music event benefiting Voices Breaking Boundaries
Sunday, July 11, 2004, 5:30pm
The Proletariat (903 Richmond Avenue at Montrose)
Admission is $5 and raffle tickets only $2
All ages are welcome!
713-228-2052
http://www.voicesbreakingboundaries.org

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James Lilley: China Hands Nine Decades of Adventure, Espionage and Diplomacy in Asia
Co-Sponsored with Hunt, Crow Collection of Asian Art, Asia Society Texas, Houston Forum

James R. Lilley's life has been entwined with China since his father moved there in 1916 to work for Standard Oil. Lilley spent much of his childhood in Tsingtao, worked first for thirty years with the CIA in the region and then as a diplomat. He served as de facto U.S. ambassador in Taiwan in the early 1980's, as ambassador to South Korea from 1986 to 1989 and as ambassador to China during the time of the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre. He is currently a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

In May, Ambassador Lilley and his son, Jeffrey, co-authored China Hands, a memoir of his career in Asia. The Wall Street Journal describes it as an "adventure story worthy of John le Carré but without his moral ambiguity."

Monday, July 12, 2004, 6:00pm
Hotel Crescent Court
Dallas, Texas
$25 for Asia Society members.
214-965-8400
http://www.DallasWorld.org

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Mysterious Latin America

Dark shadows, a struggling rookie police officer, ceremonially adorned cadavers - these staples of noir fiction are familiar to every reader. In his series of Romilia Chacon mysteries, Marcos McPeek Villatoro sends such conventions spinning, mixing them with a healthy does of the shadows of revolution, Pre-Columbian myth, and identity politics in a rich exploration of Latino culture.

Come to the MFAH to hear Villatoro read selections from his elegantly crafted Chacon mysteries. Afterward, members of the musical group SUR celebrate the mystique of Latin America as they perform folk songs using traditional instruments such as the charango, bombo, and sampona.

Thursday, July 15, 2004, 6:00pm
Brown Auditorium Theater
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
The Caroline Wiess Law Building
http://www.mfah.org

Learn more about the author:
http://www.artepublicopress.com

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The Soul of the Caribbean

Much like the Caribbean sea itself, the work of Cuban-American fiction writer Beatriz Rivera shimmers with a provocative spirit distinguished by a wealth of influences and inspirations. Join Rivera as she reads from her latest novel, Playing with Light. Booklist praised Playing with Light, saying, "at first a straightforward story of Cuban-American women, it quickly becomes a fanciful blurring of life, art, and time."

Following the reading, Houston-based Venezuelan musical group Zaranda transports the audience to the Caribbean and beyond with a fusion of traditional and popular Latin American music in a wide range of styles, rhythms, and variations.

Thursday, August 12, 2004, 6:00pm
Brown Auditorium Theater
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
The Caroline Wiess Law Building
http://www.mfah.org

Learn more about the author:
http://www.artepublicopress.com

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A Free Screening of "Maria Full of Grace"

We have several passes to advance screenings of the Colombian film, Maria Full of Grace, later in July. If you are interested, contact me and I will make arrangements to deliver them to you as long as the supply lasts.



Thank you for supporting diverse activities in Houston.

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M  a  r  k @houstonculture.org


Cultural and Community Organization Listings:
http://www.houstonculture.org/listings

2003 Report to Friends and Volunteers:
http://www.houstonculture.org/report

Support Houston Institute for Culture:
http://www.houstonculture.org/giving